Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerU.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is seen in a 2010 file photo.

PLAINFIELD — Referring to guns laid out on a table as "weapons of mass destruction," Sen. Frank Lautenberg called for Congress to reimpose its ban on high-capacity gun magazines.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with gun safety advocates and two New Jersey mayors inside Plainfield’s City Hall, Lautenberg (D-N.J.) cited a national spike in gun crime and the shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tuscon last month as proof legislators need to "step up" and tighten gun regulations.

"It’s about as easy to buy a high-capacity magazine at a gun shop as it is to buy a news magazine at a corner store," said Lautenberg, who was joined by Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs at the morning event.

The bill — one of three pieces of "common-sense" gun legislation Lautenberg introduced last month — would ban the possession, import or sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The ban would not apply to law enforcement.

High-capacity clips were outlawed under the federal assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004, when the law lapsed and has not been reinstated.

"The only reason to have a high-capacity magazine in a handgun is to kill a lot of people very quickly," said Lautenberg, adding that on average, gunshots cause 9,500 murders per year nationwide. "Outlawing high-capacity magazines will make our communities and our country safer."

Healy said Lautenberg’s bill is not about limiting gun owner’s rights but about designing regulations for safe gun use while preventing criminals from getting their hands on deadly weapons.

"We’re not against the Second Amendment," he said, referring to the provision in the Bill of Rights preventing government from infringing on "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms."

Robinson-Briggs said, "This legislation will be very helpful in municipalities that have experienced recent gun violence, and it will probably help to save many lives."

Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and nine other senators have co-sponsored the bill.

Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy, contacted after the meeting, said he supports the bill, adding the national gun debate needs to become "less polarized."

In 2005, the year after the federal assault weapons ban lapsed, McCarthy said, the number of assault weapons recovered by Newark Police tripled.

"What you have is abolitionists on one side and pro (National Rifle Association) on the other," he said. "I truly believe there is a way to protect Second Amendment rights and prevent people from getting killed at the same time."